Changampuzha Park, an enduring haven for art and culture

KOCHI: A children’s park, a cosy spot for senior citizens to engage in discussions, a space for cultural exchange and a platform for holding art performances. The portrayal of Changampuzha Park at Edappally goes on like this. The park is named after Changampuzha Krishna Pillai, one of the great romantic poets who was born at Edappally.  

The stone for the park was laid by the then chief minister C Achutha Menon in 1977.Long ago there was a pond Polakulam where the present park is situated. Some shops and the old registrar’s office at Edappally also functioned there. Besides, there was a movie house named Kairali theatre. “It was many years since its inception that a decision was taken to consider it as a memorial for the great poet.

The initiative was taken by Achutha Menon, who discussed it with the then Ernakulam district collector S Krishnakumar, who was also the chairman of Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA),” says P Prakash, writer and history enthusiast. Spread across one acre and 35 cents of land, the park is surrounded by roads on all sides. “Earlier the entrance was only on the western side which was designed along the lines of the ‘paddipura kavadam’ style of architecture. Later, another entrance was opened on the western side facing the old the NH towards Aluva. 

Since a pond already existed there, a fountain was installed.”The place became a favourite evening spot for the public. Later, a radio was also installed which attracted a large number of people to the park. Going by the huge response, the then collector Krishnakumar formed the Changampuzha Cultural Centre which was registered as a society. A governing body was also formedby including the vice-chancellors of Kerala, Calicut and Cochin universities. Following the transfer of the collector, the centre too ceased to exist. It was only to celebrate the birth anniversary of Changampuzha that the members gathered,” recalls Prakash, who is currently the president of Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram (CSK).

 The land where the park was developed was owned by the GCDA. “In 1996, when K Balachandran became the GCDA chairperson, he decided to renovate the park and upgrade it to a cultural centre. A meeting was held at the GCDA conference hall which saw the participation of many like-minded people, and the CSK was formed with seven persons as its founding members.

It was registered as a society on January 1, 1997, under the Charitable SocietiesRegistration Act, 1860,”says Prakash, one of the founding members. The aim of the society was to conduct cultural programmes and promote Malayalam language by providing platforms to hold seminars, debates and even camps. Writer M K Sanu officially inaugurated the society on January 29, 1997.   Further, the park was developed using Rs 9 lakh from the MP fund of George Eden. Two gazebos commonly called ‘garden houses’ were made along with a walkway.

Similarly, the stage complex consisting of two rooms in the back stage was constructed using the MLA fund of K Babu. Using the MP fund of Rajya Sabha member A K Antony, an auditorium was constructed that could accommodate 300 people. On December, 4, 1999 the Navy gifted the Sea Hawk fighter aircraft which was used in the 1974 Bangladesh war, to the park. Rich with so much history, the Samskarika Kendram is set to celebrate the silver jubilee celebrations of its formation, that will be kicked off in December. The celebrations will continue for a year.